How long do African Fat-tailed Geckos live?
They live 15-20 years in captivity and reach 8-10 inches (20-25 cm), with females typically a bit smaller than males. Adults weigh roughly 50-90 grams.
What do African Fat-tailed Geckos eat?
They are strict insectivores: crickets, dubia roaches, mealworms and the occasional waxworm as a treat. Feed juveniles daily and adults every 2-3 days, offering as many appropriately sized insects as they eat in 10-15 minutes. Every insect must be dusted with calcium, and a calcium-plus-D3 multivitamin mix once or twice weekly. Do not feed fruit, vegetables or pinky mice as a staple — their gut cannot use plant matter and rodents cause fatty liver.
African Fat-tailed Gecko enclosure setup
A single adult needs at least a 20-gallon long terrarium (30x12x12 inches / 75x30x30 cm) with a warm and cool side. Provide a heat mat or low basking lamp creating a warm spot of 88-90°F (31-32°C) and a cool end around 75°F (24°C); night temperature can drop to 70°F (21°C). Humidity should sit at 40-50% overall with a moist hide (damp sphagnum moss) at 60-70% for shedding. UVB is optional if D3 is in the diet, but a low 5% T5 helps; use a belly heat source, never a hot rock.
Common mistakes with African Fat-tailed Geckos
Biggest killers: no calcium/D3 (metabolic bone disease), a bone-dry tank with no moist hide (painful stuck sheds and toe loss), cohabiting males (severe fighting), and heat rocks that burn the belly because these geckos sit directly on heat sources.
Beginner mistakes to avoid
- Skipping calcium with D3 — metabolic bone disease deforms jaws and limbs.
- No humid hide in a dry tank — stuck sheds that cut off circulation to toes and tail.
- Using a heat rock — they rest on it and suffer thermal burns.
- Housing two males or mixed pairs together — fighting and stress.